What Do High Cholesterol and Weight Gain Have in Common?High cholesterol and weight gain often go hand in hand for one simple reason: Many of the same foods that cause your cholesterol to increase also cause the pounds to add on and the scales to tip ever higher. The good news behind that is by adjusting your diet for these items will help you lower your cholesterol, as well as lose weight and overcome obesity, all at the same time.
Foods high in cholesterol include animal products, especially organ meats and high fat dairy products, and products that are high in saturated fats. These very same foods are also going to be high in calories and eating too many of them will cause you to put on pounds.
To avoid high cholesterol and weight gain your diet should focus primarily on fruits and vegetables. All food items that come from plants contain no cholesterol, so eating fruits, vegetables and grains will not increase your cholesterol. And by replacing items with cholesterol with these cholesterol-free ones will help you reduce your overall cholesterol level. These same foods are also lower in calories, so you will not be as likely to gain any weight.
In order to further avoid high cholesterol and weight gain you need to cut out saturated fats and trans fats from your diet as much as you can. These fats provide no benefits to your health, and instead cause many negative effects. These high calorie foods will cause you to gain weight, and the fats are also responsible for increasing the level of low density lipoproteins (LDL – the “bad cholesterol”) in your blood. Both of these things, the high cholesterol and weight gain, put you at a much greater risk for heart disease.
One place to look in particular when cutting out fats is processed foods. In general, foods that are processed are higher in saturated fats and trans fats than fresh foods. Be sure to take a look at the nutrition labels so you know exactly what you’re getting. Another connection to remember when considering high cholesterol and weight gain is that the bottom line when it comes to weight gain is that you are consuming more calories then you are burning off through exercise. Getting thirty minutes of exercise most days of the week will greatly improve your healthy. Your cholesterol level will decrease, and as long as you eat sensibly you will also begin to lose some the weight you’ve been trying so hard to lose. Overcoming obesity is more than just losing the weight; it is your entire health picture. The fact that high cholesterol and weight gain are connected is just one such obesity related connection. Being obese puts you at risk for dozens of diseases and conditions. A sensible diet and exercise can lower your risk, and just as important you will feel better mentally and physically! Just follow the steps to begin.
Go ahead. Follow the steps above to start losing weight today.
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